682 

\\^ 

LoL 


UC-NRLF 


B    H    bEO    ta3 


LEY  LIBRAR 


A 


-  23  1sn 
QIVT 


Ab  a  f  r0fos0t0tt 


5Jfm  fork  ^tate  ICtbrai^  ^tltaol 


0tatf  of  Hria  ^ork 

SItnratian  Irimrtuunt 

1911 


STATE  OF  NEW  YORK 

EDUCATION  DEPARTMENT 

Regents  of  the  University 
With  years  when  terms  expire 

1 913  Whitelaw  Reid  M.A.  LL.D.  D.C.L.  Chancellor  New  York 

191 7  St  Clair  McKelway  M.A.  LL.D.  Vice  Chancellor  Brooklyn 

1919  Daniel  Beach  Ph.D.  LL.D. Watkins 

1914  Pliny  T.  Sexton  LL.B.  LL.D. Palmyra 

1912  T.  Guilford  Smith  M.A.  C.E.  LL.D. Buffalo 

1915  Albert  Vander  Veer  M.D.  M.A.  Ph.D.  LL.D.  Albany 

1922  Chester  S.  Lord  M.A.  LL.D. New  York 

1918  William  Nottingham  M.A.  Ph.D.  LL.D. Syracuse 

1920  Eugene  A.  Philbin  LL.B.  LL.D. New  York 

1916  Lucian  L.  Shedden  LL.B.  LL.D. Plattsburg 

1921  Francis  M.  Carpenter Mount  Kisco 

1923  Abram  I.  Elkus  LL.B. New  York 

Commissioner  of  Education 

Andrew  S.  Draper  LL.B.  LL.D. 

Assistant  Commissioners 

Augustus  S.  Downing  M.A.  Pd,D.  LL.D.  First  Assistant 
Charles  F.  Wheelock  B.S.  LL.D.  Second  Assistant 
Thomas  E.  Finegan  M.A.  Pd.D.  Third  Assistant 

Director  of  State  Library 

James  I=  Wyer,  Jr,  M.L.S, 

Director  of  Science  and  State  Museum 

John  M.  Clarke  Ph.D.  D.Sc.  LL.D. 

Chiefs  of  Divisions 

Administration,  George  M.  Wilei  ''.A. 

Attendance,  James  D.  Sullivan 

Educational  Extension,  William  R.  Eastman  M.A.  M.L.S. 

Examinations,  Harlan  H.  Horner  B.A. 

Inspections,  Frank  H.  Wood  M.A. 

Law,  Frank  B.  Gilbert  B.A. 

School  Libraries,  Charles  E.  Fitch  L.H.D. 

Statistics,  Hiram  C.  Case 

Visual  Instruction,  Alfred  W.  Abrams  Ph.B. 

Vocational  Schools,  Arthur  D.  Dean  B.S. 


Htbranansliip 


Ncui  fork  i>tatp  ICibrarg  ^rliool 


state  of  mew  L'oiis 

fi^ucation  ©cpartmcnt 

1911 


This  pamphlet  is  a  reprint  of 
"  Librarianship  An  Uncrowded  Cal- 
ling," previously  published  by  the 
New      York     State      Library    School 


Ls2r-Myi  1-1500 


(EotttfntH 

PAGE 

Introduction 7 

Librarianship  as  a  profession 9 

Men  in  library  work 1 1 

Scarcity  of  men  in  library  work 14 

Librarianship  for  college  men 16 

A  growing  profession 18 

A  brief  for  the  librar}^  schools 20 

Library  work  for  college  women  (Elv^a  L.  Bascom)  22 

Library  work  for  women   (Josephine  A.  Rathbone) 2"] 


224658 


Jntrnliwrtion 

BULLETIN  4,  from  the  Carnegie  Foundation  for  the 
Advancement  of  Teaching,  maintains  in  no  uncertain 
strain  that  there  are  too  many  and  too  poor  doctors, 
and  that  the  annual  crop  from  too  many  inadequately  equipped 
medical  schools  is  making  matters  worse.  The  "  brief- 
less barrister"  has  for  years  existed  in  cold  fact  as  well 
as  in  phrase  and  fancy.  The  hedgerows  are  full  of  newly 
fledged  doctors  of  philosophy  who  can  be  persuaded  to  fly 
long  distances  for  a  few  hundred  dollars  a  year.  There  are 
even  signs  that  engineering  (especially  electrical  and  civil), 
for  20  years  a  professional  Mecca  for  so  many  hundreds  of 
young  men,  no  longer  offers  such  easy  opportunities  as 
formerly. 

Librarianship  is  a  neglected  younger  brother  of  these  better 
known  professions,  and  has  grown  to  full  stature  only  during 
the  past  dozen  years.  Its  ranks  have  been,  and  still  are, 
filled  chiefly  with  women  to  whom  it  offers  attractive,  useful 
work,  at  salaries  which  compare  favorably  with  those  paid 
to  teachers  of  equal  ability  and  personal  qualities.  Perhaps 
for  this  reason,  perhaps  because  a  new  calling,  like  a  new 
country,  does  not  strongly  attract  men  of  marked  intellectual 
and  executive  ability  and  studious  tastes,  librarianship  has 
been  overlooked  by  young  men — the  very  persons  to  whom 
It  offers  its  best  chances  for  usefulness  and  success.  More 
good,  trained  librarians  are  sorely  needed.  The  total  product 
of  all  the  library  schools  does  not  nearly  supply  the  normal 
demands  arising  from  marriage,  death  and  resignations.  Peo- 
ple from  other  callings  are  constantly  being  pressed  into 
library  ser\ice.  This  is  particularly  true  of  men.  The  bald 
statement  that  men  are  sorely  needed  in  library  work  requires 

7 


8 

the  obvious  and  instant  qualification  that  they  must  be  strong 
men  of  liberii  education,  cap.'city  for  leadership,  relish  for 
social  service,  with  the  spiritual  and  the  practical  so  blended 
that  they  may  be  rich  in  the  love  and  knowledge  of  books  and 
the  life  books  typify  and  at  the  same  time  potent  in  bringing 
to  pass  things  which  shall  enlarge  and  strengthen  the  worthy 
administration  and  use  of  books. 

This  little  pamphlet  is  printed  with  the  hope  that  it  may  be 
the  means  of  interesting  such  men  and  women  in  library  work. 


ICibrariaitflljtp  as  a  JProfrHsion' 

LIBRx'\RIANSHIP  as  a  calling  has  several  distinct  advan- 
tages for  the  man  or  woman  of  good  education,  desir- 
ing to  be  of  service,  who  is  fond  of  books  and  who  has 
executive   ability. 

While  it  does  not  appeal  to  those  who  gage  all  callings  by 
their  money  returns,  the  librarian,  if  equal  to  his  position,  is 
associated  with  all  the  forces  that  make  for  social  and  edu- 
cational improvement  and  is  recognized  as  working  for  the 
community  rather  than  for  himself. 

For  the  individual  who  lov^es  books  it  offers  the  privilege  of 
working  in  the  atmosphere  of  books,  and  of  communicating  his 
enthusiasm  to  others  and  putting  his  knowledge  of  books  at 
their  service. 

For  the  possessor  of  executive  ability,  work  requiring  per- 
sonal initiative  is  always  almost  its  own  reward,  and  a  library 
offers  many  opportunities  for  the  exercise  of  such  a  gift. 

For  one  who,  in  addition  to  these  endowments,  has  the  wish 
to  help  and  serve  others,  there  is  no  better  field  and  few  in 
which  intelligent  work  is  more  needed. 

The  work  of  the  average  library,  while  it  allows  fewer  holi- 
days and  vacations  than  that  of  teaching  and  has  longer  hours, 
yet  has  almost  no  disciplinary  features,  and  hence  means  less 
strain  on  the  nerves  than  teaching  in  the  average  school.  It  re- 
quires, however,  sound  health  in  those  who  would  pursue  it 
successfully.  It  also  offers  more  variety  and  a  larger  field 
of  interest  than  the  average  teaching  position. 

Salaries  for  library  school  graduates  range  usually  from 
$45  or  $50  per  month  to  $65  or  $75  for  beginners,  according 
to  the  qualifications  of  the  graduate,  the  possession  or  lack  of 
maturity,  judgment,  previous  library  experience,  extended  edu- 


1  Training   for  librarianship    (A.  L.   A.  library   tract  9.     1907). 

9 


10 

cation,  satisfactory  personality,  etc.  Exceptionally  desirable 
graduates  receive  even  more  as  a  beginning  salary,  when  a 
college  degree,  previous  library  experience,  and  unusual  per- 
sonal qualifications  are  combined  in  one  person. 

The  breadth  of  the  field  of  library  work  is  another  of  its 
attractions,  the  work  of  the  reference  or  college  library,  of 
the  public  or  school  library,  and  of  the  children's  library  offer- 
ing service  suited  to  varying  capabilities  and  tastes. 

Persons  for  whom  it  is  hardly  worth  while  to  seek  technical 
training,   are  as   follows: 

Those  with  less  than  a  good  high  school  education  or  its 
equivalent;  those  past  35  years  of  age;  those  who,  with  their 
fondness  for  books,  have  not  the  self-control  to  let  them  alone 
when  necessary;  those  who  have  physical  disabilities,  such  as 
deafness,  impediments  of  speech,  or  lameness;  those  who  are 
not  sufficiently  flexible  to  adapt  themselves  to  a  new  kind  of 
work  or  sufficiently  reasonable  to  expect  some  drudgery  and 
detail  in  the  course  of  the  day's  work.  There  is  no  room  for 
the  woman  or  man  whose  first  thought  is  of  personal  ease  and 
comfort. 

Persons  of  whom  the  schools  can  not  have  too  many,  on 
the  other  hand,  are  the  broad-minded,  hopeful,  and  patient 
students  of  human  nature,  with  a  saving  sense  of  humor,  lov- 
ers of  books  and  humanity. 


Mm  in  ICibrarg  Hork' 

IN  popular  apprehension  library  work  is  woman's  work  and 
it  is  true  that  a  large  proportion  of  the  thousands  of 
library  workers  in  the  country  are  women,  including  many 
of  the  most  talented  and  useful  members  of  the  profes- 
sion. At  the  last  annual  conference  of  the  American  Library 
Association  the  total  attendance  numbered  478.  Of  these, 
310  were  women  and  168  men,  but  of  those  who  are  regis- 
tered as  chief  librarians  there  are  79  men  and  78  women. 
These  figures  furnish  the  reason  why  there  is  great  promise 
and  opportunity  for  good  men  in  library  work.  Men  have 
probably  always  been  preferred  for  the  chief  positions,  but 
library  salaries  hitherto  have  been  so  small  that  in  library 
work,  as  in  teaching,  the  rank  and  file  have  been  overwhelm- 
ingly women.  Within  recent  years,  however,  salaries  have 
become  somewhat  better  and  coincidently,  and  without  doubt 
intimately  related  to  this  fact,  has  come  an  increased  and  stead- 
ily growing  preference  for  men  as  chief  librarians.  At  the 
present  moment  the  demand  for  good  men  to  take  not  only 
the  chief  places  but  the  more  important  subordinate  ones,  is 
far  beyond  the  supply.  The  New  York  State  Library  School 
in  21  years  has  matriculated  475  students  and  of  these  107 
have  been  men.  Six  of  these  have  died.  Some  have  not  been 
adapted  to  library  work  and  have  dropped  out  after  a  resi- 
dence of  a  very  few  weeks  or  months.  Others  have  been 
unable  to  resist  the  more  alluring  commercial  opportunities, 
but  of  the  entire  number,  seventy-five,  or  three-fourths  of  those 
still  living,  are  now  actively  engaged  in  library  work.  There 
are  but  two  instances  of  men  who  left  the  work  after  complet- 
ing the  course.  That  so  large  a  proportion  of  these  men  con- 
tinue in  the  work  is  strong  testimony  to  its  opportunities  for 


^Annual    report  of   New  York  State  Library   School   for   1907,  p.  216-17. 


12 

advancement  and  its  reasonable  pecuniary  rewards.  This 
school  graduates  from  three  to  five  men  every  year  and  the 
salaries  at  the  beginning  range  from  $900  to  $1200.  These 
figures  will  compare  very  favorably  with  salaries  first  paid  to 
young  doctors  of  philosophy  just  beginning  to  teach.  To 
carry  this  comparison  still  further,  it  seems  fair  to  take  for 
granted  that  somewhat  the  same  type  of  man  that  plans  to  go 
into  college  work  as  instructor  and  ultimately  to  become  head 
of  a  department  will  be  attracted  to  library  work. 

A  baccalaureate  degree  is  considered  essential  as  a  prerequi- 
site, and  for  the  best  library  training  in  the  country  two  years 
of  graduate  work  are  now  required,  while  to  secure  the  doc- 
tor's degree  at  least  three  years  are  necessary.  College  presi- 
dents will  probably  bear  out  the  statement  that  there  is  an 
abundance  of  newly  fledged  doctors  of  philosophy  anxious  to 
take  positions  as  instructors  or  assistant  instructors  in  the  best 
universities  of  the  country  at  from  $600  to  $800  per  annum, 
while  a  degree  from  the  only  library  school  that  trains  any 
considerable  number  of  men  is  practically  a  guaranty  to  a 
reasonably  competent  man  of  an  initial  salary  from  $900  to 
$1200  per  annum.  The  best  salaries  in  the  library  field,  rang- 
ing as  they  do  from  $5000  to  $7000,  are  better  than  the 
professorships  in  the  leading  American  uni\'ersities,  so  that  the 
comparison  seems  to  favor  the  trained  librarian  as  against  the 
doctor  of  philosophy. 

It  is  not  wholly  the  feeling  that  it  is  women's  work  that 
deters  men  from  taking  it  up,  nor  the  counter  attractions  of 
scholastic  positions,  nor  the  superior  pecuniary  opportunities 
which  seem  to  await  the  other  professions.  These  all  have 
their  weight,  for  library  w^orkers  arc  mostly  Avomen,  college 
instructors  are  mostly  men,  and  while  it  is  probably  more  dif- 
ficult to  establish  a  lucrative  or  even  a  modest  practice  in 
medicine  and  law,  yet  once  a  reputation  is  made  the  rewards 
are  far  larger  than  can  ever  be  hoped  for  in  library  work, 
and  the  allurements  of  commercial  life  have  never  been 
stronger  than  at  the  present  time,  and  have  never  held  out 
greater  opportunities  of  large  financial  reward.  A  stronger 
reason  than  anv  or  all  of  these,  however,  is  the  fact  that  men 


13 

have  never  thought  of  library  work  as  a  Hfe  work.  They 
have  known  nothing  of  its  opportunities  for  executive  and 
administrative  ability,  for  real  scholarship,  for  high  social  serv- 
ice, of  its  educational  relations  and  significance.  It  has  been 
to  young  men  a  terra  incognita  and  while  college  graduates 
have  as  a  matter  of  course  gone  on  to  graduate  work  in  law, 
medicine,  theology  and  engineering,  a  new  profession  has 
arisen,  as  yet  little  known;  a  profession  offering  to  certain 
temperaments  even  greater  advantages  for  active  usefulness 
than  some  of  the  traditional  ones. 


^rarrity  of  Mtn  \n  ICtbrarti  Work' 

THE  continued  lack  of  men  entering  the  library  profes- 
sion through  the  library  schools  is  becoming  a  matter 
of  considerable  concern,  not  only  to  the  officers  of  these 
schools,  but  to  the  directors  of  the  larger  and  more  important 
libraries  throughout  the  country.  A  few  years  ago,  it  was 
confidently  expected  that  as  libraries  multiplied  in  numbers  and 
resources,  and  as  the  library  schools  came  to  take  their  place 
with  other  recognized  professional  and  technical  schools,  an 
increasing  number  of  men  from  the  colleges  and  universities 
would  be  found  in  them.  For  a  while,  it  seemed  as  though 
this  expectation  was  being  realized,  at  least  in  the  case  of  the 
oldest  and  best  known  of  these  schools,  where  the  proportion 
of  men  steadily  grew  until  in  the  class  entering  in  1903,  that 
proportion  reached  about  40  per  cent.  Since  that  time,  how- 
ever, there  has  been  a  decided  decrease  in  this  school  in  the 
proportion  of  men  enrolling,  the  registry  of  the  class  enter- 
ing this  year  showing  but  three  men  out  of  a  class  of  19  per- 
sons. In  other  schools  the  proportion  of  men  students  has 
always  been  lower,  and  latest  statistics  would  indicate  no  gain, 
and  possibly  a  falling  oft  in  them,  also.  The  following  facts 
are  typical.  In  the  Wisconsin  Library  School,  organized 
about  a  year  ago,  and  maintained  as  a  state  institution,  not  a 
single  male  student  is  registered  in  a  class  of  19  entering  this 
fall.  In  its  news  notes  from  the  various  librar\'  schools  of 
the  country,  the  October  number  of  the  Library  JoiirnaJ  gives 
lists  of  students  in  these  schools  numbering  90  in  all;  in  this 
total  only  seven  are  men.  In  the  registry  of  attendance  at 
the  last  meeting  of  the  American  Library  Association  25  dele- 
gates are  registered  as  ''Library  students  or  teachers;"  of 
this  number  but  one  was  a  man. 


1  New   York  Evening  Post,  Nov.  9,  1007. 

14 


15 

To  the  minds  of  many  who  have  the  well-being  of  the  pro- 
fession seriously  at  heart,  such  figures  are  regarded  as  ominous 
and  as  indicating  a  serious  weakness  both  in  the  general  library 
movement,  and  in  the  management  and  standing  of  the  library 
schools.  That  there  should  be  a  preponderance  of  women  in 
the  library  field,  just  as  there  is  in  the  teaching  profession, 
was  to  be  expected,  since  in  all  libraries  the  greater  number 
of  positions  are  subordinate  and  yield  too  small  a  salary  to 
support  a  man  with  family  responsibilities,  but  positions  of 
responsibility  in  the  library  world  are  rapidly  multiplying;  and 
while  in  the  face  of  such  conspicuous  executive  ability  as  is  shown 
bv  many  women  in  this  and  other  states,  it  were  folly  to  deny 
women  the  capacity  to  fill  the  highest  positions,  yet  in  addition 
to  the  fact  that  there  is  need  of  more  of  the  masculine  element 
in  the  libraries,  there  are  many  positions  where  men  as  men 
are  imperativelv  needed,  and  where  a  woman,  however  capa- 
ble or  well  trained,  can  not  meet  the  responsibilities.  There 
is  evidence  that  during  the  last  year  or  two  there  has  been 
a  general  and  decided  awakening  to  the  importance  of  this  on 
the  part  of  library  boards.  From  the  head  of  one  of  the 
leading  library  schools  the  writer  has  recently  learned  of  sev- 
eral important  libraries  which  are  seriously  troubled  because 
they  are  unable  to  secure  well-equipped  men  to  fill  positions 
of  importance  where  men  alone  are  desired,  even  though  they 
are  able  to  offer  salaries  twice  as  large  as  libraries  would  have 
paid  a  dozen  years  ago. 


IIibrarimtsI)tjj  for  Cnllpijr  Mtti' 

IN  view  of  its  present  opportunities  it  seems  strange  that 
librarianship  fails  to  attract  college  men  in  any  large  num- 
bers, ihis  can  be  only  because  these  opportunities  are 
not  sufficiently  known,  and  because  of  a  proneness  to  regard 
library  work,  either  as  a  field  preempted  by  women  or  as  one 
neither  calling  for  abilities  of  a  high  order  nor  offering  oppor- 
tunities for  real  service.  Those  of  you,  however,  who  are 
contemplating  entrance  into  one  of  the  so-called  learned  pro- 
fessions may  well  give  serious  thought  to  the  possibilities  in 
library  work.  The  man  needed  is  the  one  who  combines  with 
some  native  ability,  both  the  training  to  be  had  in  a  good  col- 
lege and  the  technical  proficiency  to  be  gained  in  a  library 
school.  A  love  for  books  is  also  an  important  requisite.  With 
such  an  equipment  he  may  look  forward  to  filling  a  place  of 
dignity  and  importance  in  the  community  and  of  doing  a  work 
of  unusual  fascination. 

I  rather  hesitate  to  thrust  the  dollars  and  cents  side  into  the 
foreground  but  it  often  makes,  if  not  a  high,  at  least  an  insist- 
ent appeal.  It  can  be  proved,  however,  I  think,  that  given 
an  equivalent  preparation,  the  librarian  receives  a  salary  equal 
to  and  often  better  than  the  teacher.  In  the  circle  of  my  own 
acquaintances  I  can  count  six  who  within  the  half  year  have 
accepted  positions  with  salaries  ranging  from  $1500  to  $2100 
per  year,  and  they  are  all  young  men.  None  of  them  are 
library  school  graduates  of  more  than  four  years'  standing,  and 
most  of  them,  if  not  all,  begin  their  college  class  numerals  with 
a  cipher.  A  man  with  the  amount  of  ability  necessary  for 
success  in  any  line  of  work  will  command  from  $900  to  $1000 
on  the  completion  of  his  library  school  course,  and  with  pre- 
vious experience  even  more.      I  know  of  library  positions  pay- 


1  Reserve  Weekly,  Dec.  21,   1909. 

16 


I? 

ing  from  $1000  to  $1200,  that  were  not  filled  for  months,  be- 
cause suitable  men,  for  men  were  wanted,  could  not  be  had. 
Such  a  state  of  affairs  in  regard  to  a  vacant  instructorship  is 
difficult  to  imagine. 

But  it  is  not  the  financial  appeal  that  is  most  potent.  It  is 
the  call  of  the  book.  To  the  man  of  scholarly  tastes  and 
habits,  books  in  themselves  yield  a  unique  pleasure.  With 
this  may  be  combined  a  measure  of  executive  work  with  its 
zest  in  doing  things  and  an  opportunity  of  coming  into  con- 
tact with  people  and  of  serving  them.  The  calling  which 
brings  books  to  the  people  and  the  people  to  the  books  is 
worthy  of  the  best  that  may  be  in  one  and  that  in  itself  would 
be  to  many  a  sufficient  reward.  Only  a  casual  knowledge  of 
the  work  of  institutions  like  the  Library  of  Congress,  the 
Harvard  College  Library  or  the  Public  Library  of  Cleveland 
is  needed  to  show  the  opportunities  for  real  and  distinguished 
service  that  they  offer.  Similar  opportunities,  perhaps  less 
conspicuous  and  less  wide  reaching,  but  often  correspondingly 
more  intensive,  are  open  to  all  of  us. 


.  A  (Sroiutng  JProfpsflton' 

PERHAPS  the  least  known  of  the  occupations  that  should 
prove  particularly  congenial  to  college  men  of  bookish 
tastes  and  a  desire  to  do  social  service  is  librarianship. 
Yet  there  are  few  lines  of  work  in  which  more  varied  ability 
is  desirable.  A  high  degree  of  executive  ability  is  demanded 
for  the  administration  of  a  large  library  with  its  many  differ- 
ent lines  of  activity.  Business  judgment  is  necessary  to  make 
a  limited  income  supply  increasing  needs  in  books,  periodicals 
and  service.  Literary  skill  is  needed  to  determine  what  read- 
ing matter  should  be  purchased  to  serve  best  the  needs  of 
the  library's  patrons.  Much  technical  skill  is  needed  in  cata- 
loging and  in  bibliographic  Avork.  Intimate  knowledge  of 
books  and  an  equally  intimate  knowledge  of  human  nature 
are  essential  for  reference  work.  By  strengthening  and  sup- 
plementing the  school  course,  by  promoting  local  industries 
through  furnishing  the  best  technical  literature  relating  to 
these  industries  as  well  as  in  furnishing  reading  for  culture 
and  recreation,  the  library  may  become  a  civic  center  and  a 
real  social  force.  Tn  few  other  lines  of  work  is  it  so  essential 
to  be  thoroughlv  up-to-date  and  in  touch  with  the  life  of  the 
community,  for  no  one  can  make  books  do  their  full  service 
who  is  not  in  sympathy  with  the  real  life  they  interpret.  Scho- 
lastic seclusion  is  no  longer  possible  in  an  efficient  library  ex- 
cept in  very  special  lines  of  bibliographic  or  clerical  work. 

The  steady  growth  of  the  library  movement  is  assured.  Its 
development  is  limited  only  by  the  service  the  libraries  render 
their  patrons.  The  growing  independence  of  the  textbook  in 
schools,  the  rapid  changes  in  industrial  methods  which  make 
up-to-date  private  working  libraries  prohibitive  in  cost  to  most 
persons  and  the  growing  recognition  of  the  part  which  litera- 


1  New  York  Evening  Post,  Jan.   8,   1910  and    May    23,    191 1    (under   title 
'  Librarianship  for  Young  Men  "). 

18 


19 

ture  and  art  should  play  In  American  life  are  only  a  few  of 
the  many  things  which  are  making  public  libraries  a  necessity, 
not  a  luxury. 

As  yet  the  supply  of  alert,  well  prepared  young  men  trained 
in  library  methods  is  not  equal  to  the  demand.  Moreover, 
the  positions  for  which  young  men  are  required  or  strongly 
desired  are  increasing  in  number.  As  in  many  other  lines  of 
work  largely  social  or  intellectual,  salaries  are  not  excessive 
but  even  here  the  young  librarian  is  often  better  off  than  the 
average  minister  or  teacher  and  often  as  well  off  in  salary  as 
the  engineer  or  lawyer  of  equal  experience.  Graduation  from 
a  reputable  library  school  practically  assures  any  young  man 
of  average  ability  an  initial  salary  of  from  $900  to  $1200. 
The  salaries  of  librarians  In  general  are  increasing  and  the 
prospects  for  further  promotion  to  better  paying  positions  are 
bright. 

In  the  more  responsible  positions  as  department  heads  in 
large  libraries  or  as  heads  of  libraries  salaries  for  men  range 
anywhere  from  $2000  to  $7000  or  more.  The  tenure  of 
office  is  usually  secure  and  largely  dependent  in  most  cases 
on  the  Incumbent  himself. 


A  IBrief  fur  ti}t  library  ^rliinila' 

THE   comparative   advantages    of    library  school  training 
and  library  experience  without  such  preliminary  train- 
ing are  treated  at  length  in  Public  Libraries  for  July 
19 lo,  in  an  anonymous  article  with  the  above  title.      A  brief 
abstract  in  the  phraseology  of  the  original  article  follows: 

The  best  administrator  of  anything  is  the  man  who  knows 
the  whole  structure  from  the  bottom  up,  the  relation  of  every 
part  to  the  whole  and  all  the  wherefores.  The  training  or 
the  experience  is  expensive  to  the  library  in  which  it  is  ac- 
quired, and  if  the  schools  can  give  it  and  the  library  get  the 
benefit,  so  much  the  better  for  the  library.  It  is  not  only  better 
for  the  library,  but  better  for  the  individual,  too,  if  he  gets 
his  training  in  a  library  school.  Opinions  to  the  contrary  are 
based  on  seemingly  inadequate  courses  or  equipment  of  the 
schools,  perhaps  upon  lack  of  understanding  of  what  the 
schools  do  offer,  or  upon  a  judgment  formed  by  acquaintance 
with  the  least  capable  graduates.  One  should  get  a  thorough 
training  in  all  the  branches  of  the  work  first  and  then  spe- 
cialize. This  gives  a  broader  view  of  the  whole  which  is 
never  regretted  by  those  who  have  it,  but  which  many  think 
beforehand  they  can  do  without.  Are  you  not  making  your- 
self liable  to  a  charge  [of  superficiality]  when  you  seek  to 
slight  the  groundwork  and  step  at  once  into  a  position  at  the 
top?  The  training  must  come  first  whether  you  get  it  in  a 
school  or  in  another  library,  and  if  you  get  it  in  a  school,  you 
save  time  and  get  a  more  thorough  course,  because  more  care- 
fully prepared.  As  to  how  the  salaries  of  those  who  go  to 
the  schools  compare  with  those  who  do  not,  it  seems  to  me 
in  the  main  to  the  advantage  of  the  schools.  At  the  end  of 
a  given  term    (perhaps. five  years   is   too   little,  but  certainly 


^Abridged   l)y   permission    from    rul)lic   Lil)rriries.   July    1910. 


21 


within  ten)  the  advantage  will  be  realized  not  only  in  the 
actual  financial  compensation,  but  in  appreciation  of  work  and 
enjoyment  of  life.  There  is  too  little  time  after  the  real  busi- 
ness begins,  to  catch  up  with  the  reading  and  study  which 
should  have  come  first  and  which  are  necessary  in  order  to  be 
a  master  of  your  craft. 


Htbrary  Work  fur  (EoUfrjc  Homtn' 

Elua  ?C.  ffiaurnm  U.K.  l.C.g*.,  JzMtar  oi  tl]c  A.  iC.  A.  ?B00kaBt 

MY  object  is  to  prove  to  you  that  library  work  has  some 
attractions  and  compensations  for  women  that  no  other 
profession  can  offer.  It  seems  to  me  so  easy  a  task 
that  I  fear  I  may  fail  to  accomplish  it  through  sheer  assurance 
of  its  simplicity. 

in  the  tirst  place — and  I  deliberately  play  my  highest  card 
first  —  there  is  no  profession  that  satisfies  so  thoroughly  many 
of  the  womanly  qualities  that  most  naturally  find  expression  in 
the  care  and  culture  of  a  home.  The  girl  at  the  head  of  a 
library,  or  even  of  a  room  in  a  library,  acquires  the  same  sort 
of  pride  in  its  well-being,  material  and  otherwise,  as  she 
would  have  in  her  own  house,  and  as  its  mistress  she  can  exer- 
cise all  those  gracious  qualities  thaT  we  associate  with  the  hos- 
pitality of  a  home.  Her  guests  are  always  welcome  and  to 
each  she  gives  the  best  in  her  store,  not  only  of  books  but  her 
own  interest  and  assistance.  A  library  is  more  truly  the 
home  of  the  people  than  any  other  public  institution  in  a  town, 
where  all  who  love  books  or  have  a  desire  for  information 
meet  on  a  common  ground,  and  where  all  differences,  of  busi- 
ness, religion,  social  position,  or  other,  are  nonexistent. 

As  compared  with  the  teacher,  the  librarian  has,  to  my  mind, 
many  decided  advantages.  The  teacher  has  but  one  thing  in 
her  repertoire  —  to  teach;  where  she  does  this  one  thing  the 
librarian  does  a  dozen,  giving  variety  and  opportunity  for  an 
all-round  development.  The  teacher  has  to  do  only  with  peo- 
ple within  a  single  narrow  boundary;  if  she  teaches  little  chil- 
dren she  naturally  loses  all  contact  with  high  school  students 
and  their  work.  She  has  them  only  for  certain  hours  for  a 
certain  term  of  years.      She  must  accept  the  unruly,  the  stupid. 


1  Abridged   by  permission    fruni    Kappa   Alpba   Theta,   May   1910. 


23 

the  lazy,  and  do  her  best  to  force  into  all  of  them  the  knowl- 
edge that  she  has  contracted  to  teach.  The  librarian  works 
with  all  ages,  all  the  time;  here  there  is  infinite  variety.  She 
searches  new  book  lists  to  find  something  for  the  boy  who  has 
read  everything  in  the  library  on  aeronautics,  the  club  woman 
who  is  struggling  with  the  intricacies  of  English  politics,  the 
old  gentleman  who  finds  his  greatest  happiness  in  Civil  War 
literature,  the  student  of  applied  sociology  who  complains  that 
the  library's  collection  of  books  is  out-of-date,  the  minister 
.  who  is  studying  religious  therapeutics,  the  young  workman 
who  wants  to  become  a  mechanical  engineer,  the  girl  who  is 
gradually  discovering  that  there  is  better  reading  than  the  mod- 
ern novel,  the  housekeeper  who  has  new  ideals  for  the  im- 
provement of  her  home  or  realizes  that  there  are  some 
methods  of  housekeeping  that  are  superior  to  those  her  mother 
taught  her.  Then  there  are  the  children  —  on  whom  libra- 
rians are  concentrating  their  most  intelligent  effort  w^ith  the 
knowledge  that  if  their  taste  can  be  elevated  above  that  of 
their  parents  the  "best  sellers"  will  have  changed  the'r  com- 
plexion within  the  next  generation.  For  these  important  little 
people  the  librarian  searches  for  the  picture  book  that  will 
not  only  fascinate  but  elevate,  for  the  story  that  will  both  in- 
terest and  educate,  for  the  poem  that  can  not  only  be  under- 
stood but  will  have  that  indefinable  quality  that  will  help  all 
of  the  great  body  of  poetry  to  take  its  proper  place  in  the 
child's  mind — as  the  most  precious  of  all  our  literary  in- 
heritance. 

Unlike  the  school,  in  the  library  all  courses  are  elective,  and 
as  a  rule  only  those  "  enter  "  for  them  who  want  the  knowledge 
they  can  give,  and  who  will  find  in  its  acquisition  a  form  of 
pleasure. 

There  are,  of  course,  a  few  advantages  on  the  other  side. 
The  teacher  has  shorter  hours  and  longer  vacations.  The 
librarian,  however,  has  less  outside  work  that  is  obligatory  — 
no  papers  to  look  over  or  lessons  to  prepare.  It  would  be 
unfair  to  give  the  impression  that  librarians  do  not  work  out- 
side library  hours;  the  majority  do,  but  it  is  largely  the  read- 
ing of  new  books  or  studving  up  new  subjects,  which  is  of  a 
cultural  rather  than  an  official  nature. 


24 

Now  as  to  the  requisite  qualifications  for  library  work.  The 
two  most  important  are  efficiency  and  enthusiasm.  To  these 
should  be  added,  for  the  ideal  library  worker,  accuracy,  order, 
executive  ability,  initiative  and  a  good  personality.  An  "  effi- 
cient" librarian  must  have  a  good  general  education  and  a 
thorough  library  training,  plus  the  ability  to  think  clearly  and 
quickly,  to  judge  fairly,  to  work  effectively:  perhaps  there  are 
other  qualities  that  should  be  included  under  this  most  com- 
prehensive word,  but  these  are  the  ones  that  come  first  to  my 
mind.  Enthusiasm  needs  no  comment  —  or  would  not  if  libra- 
rians in  this  country  were  not  justifiably  proud  of  what  they 
call  "  library  spirit."  I  despair  of  defining  just  what  it  im- 
plies—  perhaps  enthusiasm  coupled  with  optimism,  tempered 
with  experience  and  strengthened  by  a  fine  sense  of  the  privi- 
lege of  service.  Because  of  this  library  spirit  and  of  the 
breadth  and  variety  of  the  work,  a  librarian  is  more  nearly 
related  to  the  social  settlement  worker  than  to  any  other  agent 
in  the  world's  betterment.  The  work  is  distinctly  that  of 
social  ser\nce,  and  the  qualities  that  will  bring  the  worker  into 
closest  contact  with  the  people  are  those  that  are  most  desir- 
able, next  to  those  that  make  for  a  good  foundation  in  educa- 
tion and  special  training. 

An  all-round  education  is  best,  with  special  emphasis  on  Eng- 
lish, modern  languages  and  sociological  subjects.  The  special 
training  can  be  acquired  in  two  ways  —  by  apprenticeship  in 
a  library  or  by  taking  a  course  in  a  library  school,  or  better, 
both.  The  objection  to  limiting  one's  self  to  the  former 
is  that  you  have  learned  only  the  methods  in  use  in  a  single 
library,  and  some  of  them  are  likely  to  be  unique  or  so  modi- 
fied that  if  you  go  to  another  library  you  will  have  to  lay  them 
aside  and  learn  others.  It  is  true  that  some  large  libraries 
have  a  regular  training  class  in  which  instruction  is  g'ven  in 
the  elementary  principles,  but  their  application  is,  most  natu- 
rally, to  the  methods  used  in  that  particular  library.  On  the 
other  hand,  the  library  school  teaches  the  methods  most  widely 
adopted,  and  points  out  their  superior  features  by  comparing 
them  with  those  that  have  been  tried  (and  are  still  in  use  some- 
where—  often  in  a  library  close  enough  to  be  studied  at  first 


25 

hand)  and  proved  less  efficient.  The  schools,  too,  furnish  a 
background  that  it  is  not  possible  for  a  single  library  to  give; 
they  acquaint  the  student  with  the  history  of  libraries  and  print- 
ing, the  development  of  the  modern  library  movement  and  its 
significance,  the  development  and  practical  principles  of  library 
architecture,  the  problems  of  administration,  etc. —  in  fact, 
they  endeavor  to  place  in  the  student's  possession  what  she 
needs  most  in  the  practical  management  of  a  library  and  to 
put  her  in  the  way  of  finding  for  herself  what  she  is  going  to 
need  as  she  grows  with  her  library  —  or  grows  away  from  it 
into  one  offering  greater  opportunity  for  the  kind  of  service 
she  has  proved  herself  specially  capable  of  giving.  The  ideal 
training  combines  that  of  the  school  and  that  of  a  live,  well- 
administered  library.  Most  of  the  schools  now  require  "  prac- 
tice work  "  in  a  library,  either  before  the  student  enters  on  her 
course  or  at  a  stated  time  during  it. 

The  same  interest  is  taken  in  securing  positions  for  gradu- 
ates that  is  shown  in  the  teaching  profession.  Because  of  the 
greater  demand  and  smaller  supply  in  the  library  field  there  is 
not  the  difficulty  in  obtaining  good  positions  that  results  from 
the  crowded  condition  of  the  older  profession.  The  schools 
are  very  active  agencies,  not  only  in  placing  their  students  on 
graduation  but  in  giving  constant  assistance  to  those  who  are 
already  in  the  work  and  wish  to  make  a  change.  Then,  too, 
the  comparatively  small  size  of  the  profession  makes  it  pos- 
sible for  a  person  to  become  much  more  widely  known  than  in 
the  more  crowded  professions;  as  a  result  changes  are  frequent 
and  the  chance  of  finding  the  exact  work  one  wishes  to  do  is 
large.  The  frequent  meetings,  sectional,  state  and  national, 
promote  a  degree  of  acquaintanceship  that  seems  to  be  unique; 
a  very  general  habit  of  making  library  trips  also  contributes 
to  this  end.  The  attitude  of  the  older  librarians  toward  the 
young  aspirant  is  ideal;  they  evidently  believe  that,  like  char- 
ity, the  library  spirit  should  be  displayed  within  the  family 
circle. 

Tn  the  matter  of  salary  there  is  so  great  inconsistency  that  it 
is  difficult  to  give  anv  data  that  will  hold  true  for  all  parts  of 
the  country.  In  a  library  where  the  staff  is  drawn  from  the 
town  and  trained  by  the  librarian  the  salaries  are  as  a  rule 


26 

considerably  lower  than  where  the  assistants  are  taken  from 
the  library  schools.  Frequently  in  the  larger  libraries  the 
heads  of  the  departments  are  school  graduates.  The  salary 
of  the  head  librarian  varies  much  as  that  of  a  superintendent 
of  schools  does.  Salaries  in  the  West  are  uniformly  higher 
than  in  the  East.  School  graduates  who  have  also  had  a  col- 
lege education  usually  begin  work  at  $800  or  $900,  though 
some  start  with  $1200.  Few  as  yet  receive,  after  years  of 
experience  and  usefulness,  over  $2000.  The  average  salary' 
for  those  without  collegiate  training  is  about  $720.  I  am 
now  speaking  of  women's  salaries.  Men  seldom  begin  with 
less  than  $1200  and  may  reach  $3000  in  a  very  few  years. 
Only  a  few  men  in  the  country  receive  over  $5000. 

In  the  foregoing  I  have  had  mainly  in  mind  the  work,  quali- 
fications and  opportunities  of  the  head  or  assistant  in  the  aver- 
age public  library  since  those  are  the  positions  that  lead  in 
point  of  number.  For  more  specialized  work  in  large  libra- 
ries what  has  been  said  does  not  apply  so  uniformly.  A  per- 
son who  catalogs  or  accessions  or  examines  books  continuously 
does  not  require  all  the  qualifications  that  the  executive  head 
of  the  library  in  which  she  does  this  work  should  have,  but 
certain  A'irtues  should  be  hers  in  excess:  accuracy,  order,  good 
sense  and  judgment,  and  a  command  of  her  special  work  in 
all  its  details  and  in  its  relation  with  the  other  work  of  the 
library.  For  this  kind  of  work — most  often  done  in  retired 
spots — the  ever-dominating  question  of  personality  is  of  less 
importance  than  in  those  positions  that  require  contact  with 
the  public.  Many  women  who  are  shy,  lack  the  gift  of  "  pleas- 
ing people,"  or  prefer  the  quiet  independence  of  desk  work, 
find  most  congenial  and  satisfying  occupation  in  these  positions, 
which  are  no  less  useful  or  important  because  they  are  not 
done  before  the  eyes  of  the  world.  The  question  of  person- 
ality is  too  large  a  one  to  enter  upon.  It  rightly  receives 
stress,  though  perhaps  overemphasis  at  the  present  time.  The 
girl  who  is  fortunate  enough  to  possess  good  health,  good 
sense,  good  education,  enthusiasm,  executive  ability  and  per- 
sonal charm  —  or  a  "pleasing  personality" — has  the  open 
sesame  to  anything  the  library  profession  has  to  offer  to  women 
—  provided  she  is  willing  to  work,  and  work  hard. 


ICthrarg  Work  for  Blomptt' 

3astpiiint  Kbame  lSatt;banp,  ifnatrurtar.  Pratt  ilnatttutr  Cibrary  ^tifoal 

THE  field  of  library  work  is  a  very  broad  one;  It  is  con- 
tinually enlarging,  and  no  corner  of  it  is  barred  from 
women.  The  more  important  positions  are  filled  by 
men,  as  in  all  other  professions,  and  this  will  probably  be  the 
case  for  years  to  come,  until  women's  executive  powers  have 
been  trained  by  use ;  but  the  difference  between  the  positions 
held  by  men  and  by  women  is  one  of  degree,  not  of  kind,  and 
there  is,  on  the  whole,  less  difference  between  the  highest  sala- 
ries paid  to  men  and  to  women  than  in  any  other  salaried 
profession. 

It  should  be  understood  that  the  conditions  set  forth  in  this 
paper  apply  to  those  who  have  had  or  who  desire  to  obtain 
the  necessary  preparation  for  efficient  service. 

For  our  purpose  we  will  consider  the  library  work  under 
three  heads:  Public  libraries.  School  and  college  libraries,  and 
Special  libraries. 

9    Public  librartra 

We  will  omit  from  consideration  the  village  libraries  of  less 
than  5000  volumes.  These  can  seldom  afford  trained  assist- 
ants, and  many  of  them  are  administered  by  volunteers. 

The  librarian  of  the  library  of  from  5000  to  100,000  vol- 
umes, of  which  there  are  about  2000  in  the  United  States,  is 
usually  a  woman.  She  has  the  opportunit\'  of  making  her 
library  the  center  of  the  educational  and  intellectual  life  of 
the  community.  She  comes  into  contact,  as  does  the  woman 
in  no  other  occupation,  with  every  element  of  the  community 
—  with  the  school  children  of  all  ages,  with  the  teachers,  with 
business  and  professional  men,  with  women's  clubs,  and  with 


^Reprinted  by  permission  from  Vocations  for  the  Trained  Woman.     1910. 
Women's  Educational  and  Industrial  Union,    (Bost). 


27 


28 

organizations  of  all  kinds.  It  is  her  business  to  study  the 
community  and  find  out  its  interests  and  its  needs,  to  select 
books  to  meet  these  interests  and  needs,  to  make  these  books 
available  by  her  knowledge  of  the  best  library  methods,  and 
to  attract  people  to  the  library  by  making  its  resources  known, 
by  stimulating  an  interest  in  books,  and  by  creating  an  atmos- 
phere of  culture,  of  hospitality,  and  of  helpfulness  within  the 
library  itself.  There  is  in  this  work  scope  for  the  exercise 
of  all  a  woman's  powers — executive  ability,  knowledge  of 
books,  social  sympathies,  knowledge  of  human  nature. 

The  salaries  for  trained  women  as  head  librarians  range 
from  $600  in  the  smaller  communities  to  $2500  or  $3000,  the 
larger  number  being  $900  and  $1200. 

In  a  small  library  the  librarian  and  two  or  three  assistants 
do  all  the  various  kinds  of  work,  getting  the  books  ready  for 
use  and  serving  the  children  and  adults  who  come  to  the 
library,  but  in  the  larger  libraries  there  is  need  for  greater 
specialization  and  special  branches  of  the  work  have  devel- 
oped. Among  these  are  administrative  work,  cataloging, 
reference  work,  circulating  department  work,  children's 
work,  school  work,  each  demanding  workers  with  special 
qualifications. 

The  chief  administrative  posts  in  large  libraries  are  for  the 
most  part  held  by  men,  though  there  are  a  number  of  women 
assistant  librarians  or  librarians'  secretaries  with  salaries  of 
from  $1000  to  $2000.  Administrative  in  character  also  are 
the  positions  of  librarians  of  branch  libraries,  of  which  there 
are  sixty  odd  in  Greater  New  York  alone,  practically  all  held 
by  women,  and  ranging  in  salary  from  $900  to  $1500. 
The  amount  of  responsibility  resting  upon  the  branch  librarian 
depends  on  the  policy  of  the  system.  It  is,  generally  speaking, 
somewhat  less  than  that  of  the  librarian  of  an  independent 
library  of  the  same  size,  but  the  opportunities  for  usefulness 
are  almost  as  great,  and  in  the  larger  city  systems  far  greater 
than  in  many  independent  libraries  that  are  hampered  by  a 
conservative  or  restrictive  board  of  trustees. 

Circulating  department  work.  The  coming  of  the  "  open 
shelf"  has  brought  books,   readers,   and  library  assistants  to- 


29 

gather  In  a  new  relation.  It  is  now  realized  that  this  point 
of  contact  is  a  vitally  important  thing,  and  the  standard  of 
intelligence  and  culture  demanded  of  circulating  department 
assistants  is  being  raised  rapidly.  Women  possessed  of  the 
broadest  culture  as  well  as  of  attractive  personality  and  execu- 
tive ability  are  being  sought  for  the  headship  of  circulation 
departments  at  salaries  of  from  $900  to  $1800,  and  the  sup- 
ply is  far  from  adequate.  Trained  assistants  in  the  circula- 
tion departments  get  from  $50  to  $100  a  month,  and  the 
standards  of  salary  are  rising  with  those  of  efficiency. 

Children's  work.  This  is  comparatively  a  new  field,  and 
the  demand  for  trained  workers  of  pleasing  personality,  expe- 
rience and  sympathy  with  children,  and  knowledge  of  chil- 
dren's books,  greatly  exceeds  the  supply.  The  larger  city  sys- 
tems have  supervisors  of  children's  work  at  salaries  ranging 
from  $1200  to  $iSoo.  Librarians  in  charge  of  children's 
rooms  in  independent  libraries  or  in  branch  libraries  receive 
from  $700  to  $1200,  assistants  in  children's  rooms  from  $500 
to  $800. 

Besides  the  books  themselves,  children's  librarians  have  used 
pictures  and  other  illustrative  material  to  attract  and  influence 
the  children,  and  have  found  story-telling  a  very  effective 
means  of  stimulating  an  interest  in  reading  and  of  introducing 
the  children  to  authors  and  to  subjects  that  they  might  not 
otherwise  discover.  So  important  a  part  of  children's  work 
has  the  story  hour  become  that  some  are  already  specializing 
in  the  direction  of  story-telling,  and  more  will  undoubtedly 
do  so. 

Work  with  schools.  This  is  closely  allied  to  children's  work, 
but  many  of  the  larger  libraries  have  assistants  who  give  all 
their  time  to  library  work  with  the  schools,  and  at  least  one 
of  the  large  systems  has  a  regularly  organized  department  for 
this  work,  with  assistants  in  the  several  branches. 

This  work  may  include  visiting  the  schools,  sending  to  the 
classrooms,  or  arranging  in  the  libraries  collections  of  books 
relating  to  the  subjects  studied  in  the  schools,  preparing  exhibi- 
tions of  material  illustrative  of  special  subjects,  keeping  the 
teachers  informed  of  books  and  periodical  articles  on  their 
subjects,  etc.      Many  who  go  into  this  work  have  been  teach- 


30 

ers  or  have  had  normal  school  training.     The  remuneration 
is  about  that  of  the  children's  librarians. 

Reference  work.  This  work  consists  in  helping  people  who 
come  to  the  library  for  information  as  distinguished  from  those 
who  come  to  borrow  books,  and  the  information  sought  may 
range  from  the  pronunciation  of  a  word  to  material  on  the 
psychology  of  white  rats  or  the  e\'olution  of  the  leit-motif. 
There  is  needed  a  wide  range  of  general  information,  knowl- 
edge of  books,  a  reading  knowledge  of  French  and  German, 
as  many  of  the  best  reference  books  are  in  these  languages, 
tact  in  meeting  people,  infinite  patience,  and  a  certain  detective 
faculty  for  following  clews.  In  the  larger  libraries,  refer- 
ence work  has  become  largely  specialized;  art,  music,  applied 
science,  law,  and  medical  reference  departments  are  found  re- 
quiring specialists  in  these  subjects.  Men  are  more  in  demand 
than  women  for  some  of  these  positions,  but  there  are  many 
women  in  general  reference  work.  The  salaries  range  from 
about  $900  to  $1500  for  heads  of  departments,  and  from  ?6oo 
to  $900  for  assistants. 

Cataloging.  Under  this  head  I  have  included  all  the  tech- 
nical work  with  books  from  their  reception,  in  the  library  to 
their  placing  on  the  shelves. 

This  work  demands  method,  accuracy,  despatch,  good  gen- 
eral information,  good  "  book  sense,"  and  a  knowledge  of  for- 
eign languages,  the  latter  varying  in  extent  and  importance  in 
different  libraries.  The  work  appeals  to  those  in  whom  the 
book  interest  and  sense  of  order  and  method  are  stronger  than 
their  interest  in  people. 

The  position  of  head  cataloger  in  a  large  library  demands 
also  considerable  executi\'e  abilitv,  and  commands  a  salarv  of 
from  $1000  to  $2000.  In  a  few  of  the  larger  libraries  these 
positions  are  held  by  men,  but  cataloging  is  chiefly  woman's 
work.  The  subordinate  positions  command  salaries  of  from 
$600  to  $1200. 

In  1890  a  state  commission  was  appointed  in  Massachusetts 
to  encourage  the  establishment  of  free  public  libraries,  and 
since  then  commissions  have  been  appointed  in  34  states.  The 
commissions  employ  secretaries  or  organizers  who  travel  about 
the    state    starting   new    libraries,    reorganizing    old   libraries, 


31 

training  the  local  librarians.  iMany  of  the  commissions  send 
out  traveling  libraries,  conduct  summer  library  schools,  advise 
in  the  selection  of  books  for  the  local  libraries.  This  work 
is  very  largely  done  by  women,  and  demands  a  forceful  and 
attractive  personality,  unbounded  energy  and  enthusiasm,  and 
the  power  of  arousing  enthusiasm  in  others,  great  physical 
endurance,  and  a  sense  of  humor.  Salaries  range  from  $800 
to  $1800,  but  such  qualities  can  not  be  paid  for,  and  the  work 
appeals  only  to  those  who  work  "  for  the  joy  of  the  working." 
Indeed,  this  is  largely  the  case  with  all  kinds  of  public  library 
work.  The  pleasure  one  takes  in  congenial  occupation,  in 
work  that  seems  supremely  worth  while,  is  a  very  large  part 
of  one's  compensation.  Librarians  are  underpaid:  most  of 
those  who  are  successful  could  make  more  money  in  other 
ways;  but  they  rarely  care  to  leave  their  chosen  calling. 

SS    S»rl|anl  anft  rnUege  librarifa 

The  demand  for  librarians  in  high  schools  is  a  growing  one. 
The  qualities  needed  are  about  those  demanded  of  reference 
workers  plus  a  great  enthusiasm  for  books,  since  the  oppor- 
tunity for  influencing  the  reading  of  the  high  school  pupils  is 
incalculable.  These  positions  are  under  the  boards  of  educa- 
tion. The  requirements  generally  demand  library  training 
and  some  previous  experience  in  library  work.  Salaries  range 
from  $900  to  $1200,  but  an  effort  is  being  made  in  Greater 
New  York  to  put  the  high  school  librarian's  salary  on  a  level 
with  the  teacher's. 

There  is  a  growing  realization  among  educators  that  teach- 
ers need  a  better  knowledge  of  children's  books  than  has  been 
required  of  them  in  the  past,  that  teachers  should  be  more 
expert  in  laboratory  methods  of  using  books,  that  they  should 
know  the  value  and  scope  of  the  more  important  reference 
books,  and  that  thev  should  be  able  to  administer  schoolroom 
libraries.  This  realization  has  led  to  the  demand  in  New  York 
and  other  states  that  the  study  of  books  and  of  library  meth- 
ods be  taken  up  in  the  normal  schools.  The  need  has  there- 
fore arisen  for  librarians  who  shall  be  able  not  only  to 
administer  the  libraries  of  normal  schools,  but  to  give  instruc- 
tion along  these  lines.     This  is  new  work,  but  it  is  already  of 


32 

recognized  importance.  Experience  in  teaching,  or  training 
in  a  normal  school  as  well  as  library  training  is  needed  to  carry 
on  this  work  successfully. 

College  library  work  generally  demands  college  graduation 
as  well  as  library  training  for  the  higher  positions.  The  libra- 
rianship  in  a  man's  college  is  seldom  held  by  a  woman.  In 
coeducational  colleges,  women  are  sometimes  librarians,  and 
are  invariably  so  in  women's  colleges.  Even  in  the  men's  col- 
eges  the  headship  of  departments,  as  well  as  reference  and  cat- 
aloging positions,  are  often  held  by  women.  Salaries  are  a 
little  lower,  as  a  rule,  than  in  public  library  work. 

II3I3I    ^prrial  Itbrama 

These  are,  as  a  rule,  collections  along  certain  lines,  as  his- 
torical libraries,  libraries  of  learned  societies,  libraries  of  pub- 
lishing houses,  business  houses,  insurance  companies,  etc.  The 
work  in  them  is  largely  reference  work,  cataloging,  and  in- 
dexing, and  there  is  a  constantly  widening  field  for  women  of 
good  education  and  special  training  or  special  tastes  in  libraries 
of  this  sort. 

^\'omen  of  quiet,  bookish  tastes,  good  language  equipment, 
including  Latin  and  Greek  as  well  as  the  modern  languages, 
and  thorough  training  in  cataloging,  have  found  congenial 
work  in  cataloging  private  libraries,  which  often  contain  old 
and  rare  books.  The  demand  for  work  of  this  sort  is  not  so 
steady  as  for  regular  library  work,  but  when  once  a  reputation 
as  an  expert  is  established,  one  finds  plenty  of  opportunity. 
Such  work  commands  from  $75  to  $125  a  month. 

Given  a  love  for  books,  a  woman  can  find  in  library  work 
exercise  for  all  her  tastes,  faculties,  and  powers,  and  the  last- 
ing satisfaction  that  comes  from  doing  a  work  that  is  worth 
while. 


(Jljf  ^em  fork  0tat?  Slibrarg  ^rlynnl 

The  New  York  State  Library  School  offers  to  a  limited 
number  of  college  graduates  a  two-year  course  in  library  econ- 
omy. Up  to  191 1  over  1800  library  positions,  ranging  from 
assistantships  to  head  librarianships,  have  been  filled  by  stu- 
dents of  the  school.  Though  promising  students  are  advised 
to  take  the  full  course,  the  first  year  gives  a  well  balanced 
preparation  for  certain  kinds  of  library  work  to  those  unable 
to  attend  the  two  years.  Both  personality  and  education  are 
considered  In  the  admission  of  candidates.  Full  details  of 
the  courses,  expenses  etc.  are  given  in  the  annual  Circular  of 
information  which  may  be  obtained  by  addressing  The  Regis- 
trar, New  York  State  Library  School,  Albany,  N.  Y. 


riNiv 


m*"»-'^ 


i' 


OR' 


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University  of  California 
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